Textile winding machines



' 0a. a, 1910 J, K. P. MACKIEF 3,532,280

TEXTILE wmnms MACHINES Fiied Feb. 16. 1968 3 Sheets- Sheet 1- 0d:- 6, 197 J; K. P. MACKIE 3,532,280

TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 16. 1968 a SheetsSheet 2 1 970 J. K. P. MACKIE 3,

TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 16, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Mu iwenlor United States Patent 3,532,280 TEXTILE WINDING MACHINES John Kay Pringle Mackie, Belfast, Ireland, assignor to James Mackie & Sons Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland, a British company Filed Feb. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 706,036 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 23, 1967, 8,801/ 67 Int. Cl. B65h 59/02 US. Cl. 242-45 26 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A textile yarn winding machine having a package drive which is variable by a control device which is actuated by deviations in the speed of the yarn being wound from a predetermined desired winding speed.

This invention relates to textile yarn winding machines (the term textile yarn being intended to encompass both conventional natural yarns and yarn of artificial or synthetic material including multi-filament or mono-filament tape etc.). It is especially but not exclusively concerned with beaming machines i.e. machines for winding a number of separate threads in a parallel formation along the length of a loom warp beam.

It is clearly desirable for yarn to be wound onto a package at a speed equal to the fastest safe speed at which the yarn can be withdrawn from its supply which depends on certain characteristics of the yarn e.g. its tensile strength and also of course on the nature of the supply. However, this desideratum is difficult to achieve in practice since as the diameter of the package increases during winding so does the surface speed of the package and hence the rate of take-up assuming a constant drive for the package.

Attempts have hitherto been made to solve this problem by, for example, varying the package drive in accordance with the changes in diameter of the package being wound. However difficulties arise as this does not allow for variation in the torque of the package drive produced for example by the use of differing package widths and different yarn material. If a variable package drive is employed, the drive being varied in accordance with changes in yarn tension, complicated gearing and control equipment has to be used and further this solution has not proved wholly satisfactory especially for use with beaming machines as the desirable tension varies according to the number of yarn ends being wound.

A yarn winding machine in accordance with the invention has a package drive which is variable by a control device which is actuated by deviations in the speed of the yarn being wound from a predetermined desired winding speed. Thus as the package diameter increases during winding the tendency for the speed of the yarn between the supply source and the package to increase, causes the control device to decrease the speed of rotation of the package so as to maintain the yarn speed substantially constant.

Such an arrangement not only can be produced very simply and inexpensively but also can be set to correspond to the desired yarn speed so that the optimum 3,532,280 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 ice on the yarn to repair a fault), or can be stopped altogether.

It is desirable for means to be provided to control the rate of acceleration and/or deceleration of the package drive when either is signalled by the control device and this means preferably also comes into effect when the package drive is stopped, to ensure that the package drive can only be reassumed with controlled acceleration.

The drive for the package preferably comprises a hydraulic motor driven by a variable output (preferably a variable displacement) hydraulic pump. Such a transmission enables the package drive to have the desired wide speed range variation (and the desired gradual acceleration from zero to full operating speed) without the expense and limitation of a. comparable mechanical drive although the invention in its broadest aspects can Operate with mechanical or electrical package drives. With the preferred arrangement the control device may vary the package drive by varying the displacement of the hydraulic pump through a standard hydraulic positioner.

While the drive for the package is conveniently applied to the package support spindle it may also, for example in the case of a pre-beaming machine, drive the package through a roller engaging the periphery of the package.

The speed of the yarn may be sensed by a roller in the yarn path and means may be provided to apply a drag to the roller to provide an increase in the tension of the yarn. Alternatively the roller may be driven to assist the rotation of the roller the drive not being sufficient by itself to cause an increase in the speed of the yarn but acting to decrease the tension of the yarn.

The control device may be of any known form which transmits signals corresponding to yarn speed changes from a normal speed, to the package drive. However one very important and hitherto unknown device, comprises a tachometer driven by a yarn speed sensing member, movement of the tachometer output member in one direction from an adjustable normal position corresponding to the desired yarn winding speed, being effective to accelerate and movement in the other direction from the normal position, to decelerate, the package drive to restore the yarn speed to the desired speed. The output member could have various forms but it has been found that one very effective arrangement is to provide the output member with two separate signal tracks one being effective to transmit a signal to sensing means to cause the package drive to accelerate and the other to cause the drive to decelerate, one track coming into operation on movement of the output member in one direction from the normal position and the other becoming operative on movement of the member in the other direction. In this case the normal desired winding speed can be adjusted by movement of the signal sensing means for the tracks, or the output member, relative to the yarn speed sensing elements of the tachometer and in which case the set normal position corresponding to the desired yarn speed may be determined by the position of the gap between the tracks or the position of an overlap of the tracks, relatively to the sensing means. Alternatively the desired winding speed could be adjusted by adjustment of the speed at which the tachometer drives its output member.

Such a device is very simple to manufacture and has been found to be very effective in use. The tracks may be of various forms, for example magnetic strips, and the signals can be sensed and transmitted by an convenient equipment e.g. electrically or mechanically. Preferably however the signals are transmitted pneumatically or hydraulically in which case the tracks are preferably constituted by a slot in a plate secured to or forming the tachometer output member, the plate being moveable past a head carrying two jets which comprise the sensing means and which are connected to a source of gas normally air or of hydraulic fluid, each jet being aligned on one side of the plate with one of the two tracks respectively, the head also including two flow passages located on the other side of the plate and aligned with the two jets so that when one of the tracks is aligned with one of the jets a flow of the air or hydraulic fluid is passed through the corresponding flow passage and when the other track is aligned with the other jet air flows on y through the other flow path, the flow paths being connected to means to alter the drive for the package.

The slots may be arcuate and be formed in a disc rotated by the tachometer when the speed being sensed exceeds or drops below the speed to which the tachometer is set.

It will be appreciated that other arrangements of slots could be used. For example the tachometer output member may be connected to a source of a gas or hydraulic fluid to provide one or two jets movement of the output member in one direction from the normal non-operative position causing the, or one of the jets, to become aligned with one flow passage to cause the package drive to be accelerated or decelerated and movement in the other direction causing a jet to be aligned with another flow passage to cause the drive to be decelerated or accelerated respectively.

Further instead on a slotted plate the tachometer output member could comprise a nozzle or a cam, movement of which causes a flexibly mounted nozzle, or other sensing means, to move in accordane with the diretion of movement of the output member, to cause the package drive either to be accelerated or decelerated.

The use of a pneumatic or hydraulic control system in conjunction with a hydraulic drive enables a positioner very simply to adjust the displacement of the hydraulic pump. However signals for the control device could be transmitted through suitable relays to operate mechanical or electrical positioners or directly to control any variable speed transmission arrangements.

Loom beams, which have to extend across the width of any particular piece of cloth being woven on a loom, have a length which is considerable and which varies according to the desired cloth width. When fully wound the beams are very heavy. As a consequence of these factors it is difficult to provide an effective way of carrying and driving the beams which, as explained, may be of different widths, and subsequently dofilng the wound beam from the machine.

The yarn winding machine in accordance with the invention is preferably provided with package carrying means comprising two heads to engage the ends of the centre or support for the package, the heads running on a track or tracks and means being provided to drive the heads into engagement with a package centre or support and to withdraw the heads from the centre to allow the wound package to be doffed.

Such an arrangement avoids the use of spigots or the like extending from fixed heads into the package support which due to the heavy weight of the beam can be bent. As the heads can be driven along the tracks to any desired extent, it is very easy for package supports of varying lengths to be supported.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beaming machine in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the variable drive for the beam;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the control mechanism drive;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating the way in which the control device operates to transmit a signal to the variable drive for the beam;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a portion of the connection between the control device and the variable drive;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating some of the control valves of the air supply system;

FIG. 10 is a sketch showing the means to enable the beam to be rotated by hand and means for controlling the speed of stopping; and

FIG. 11 is a section illustrating the device for locking the heads of the machine onto the tracks.

The machine comprises essentially a base frame generally indicated at 2 including two longitudinally disposed side rails 4 on which a head stock 6 and a tail stock 8 are mounted through wheels 10 for movement therealong.

The beam (not shown) is mounted between a freely rotatable member 12 on the tail stock and a driven head 14 on the head stock. Two pressure rollers 16 are rotatably mounted across the ends of two curved arms 18 the arms 18 being mounted through rollers 20 on a support 22 forming part of the frame. The pressure rollers 16 are actuated by a hydraulic lifting ram 24 which engages a bar 26 which is connected across the top of the two arms 18 and lifting of which lifts the arms so as to force the two pressure rollers 16 into contact with the periphery of the beam being wound so that the bands of warp threads being wound onto the beam are maintained taut and closely packed. The hydraulic ram 24 is actuated by a separate hydraulic system and maintains regulated pressure on the beam during winding, the arm moving down as the beam diameter increases. The pressure can be set by rotation of a knob on the control panel.

The head 14 is driven through gearing 27 by a hydraulic motor 28 which receives its pressure fluid through tubes 30 from a variable displacement hydraulic pump 32 (see FIG. 2) which is driven by an electric motor 34.

The displacement of the pump 32 is altered in a manner known per se through a lever 36 which is pivoted to the pump casing and arranged so that movement in one direction (to the right as seen in the drawing) causes a greater supply of hydraulic fluid to be supplied to-the motor 28 to accelerate the motor and so that movement in the other direction (to the left) results in a decrease in the volume of hydraulic fluid supplied to the motor 28 caus ing the motor and hence the beam drive, to decelerate.

The upper end of the lever 36 is connected to a screwed rod 38 which is engaged by a standard screw positioner 40 driven through a chain 42 by an air motor 44, the air motor being driven through high pressure signal tubes 46, 47. Operation of the air motor in one direction due to pressure transmitted through the tube 46 causes the air motor to drive the positioner in the direction to move the lever 36 to the left i.e. to slow down the drive. On the air motor receiving a signal through the other tube 47 it transmits a drive in the opposite direction to cause the positioner 40 to move the lever 36 in the other direction to accelerate the drive.

The means whereby a signal is transmitted through either one or the other of the signal tubes 46, 47 comprises a control device which is actuated by deviations in the speed of the yarns being wound on the beam from a predetermined desired winding speed corresponding for example to the maximum speed at which the warp threads can be withdrawn from the supply source (not shown).

The speed of the band of warp threads is sensed during passage through two delivery or nip rollers 48 located in the path of the yarn between the supply source and the beam. One of the driven rollers 48 provides a drive through gearing generally indicated at 50 (see FIG. 3 not shown in FIG. 1) to a tachometer 52 which may be of any standard type. The output shaft 54 of the tachometer carries a disc 56 formed with two tracks in the form of arcuate slots 58, 60 the radii of which differ. It will be seen from examination of FIGS. 5 to 7 that the slots do not overlap and that consequently a small band indicated by the lines 62 exists between the adjoining ends of the slots.

The disc 56 is mounted for arcuate movement between the arms of a pivotally mounted U-shaped sensing head 64, the pivotal axis 66 of which is aligned with the axis of the disc 56.

A supply of low pressure air is fed to a passage 68 in the head 64 the passage 68 branching into two outlet nozzles 70, 72 in one arm of the head facing the disc 56. The two outlets 70, 72 are aligned with the arcuate slots 58, 60 in the disc 56 respectively and with two passages 74, 76 in the other arm of the head which are connected to signal tubes 78, 80. The signal transmitted through tube 78 causes, as is explained hereafter, a high pressure flow through tube 46 to decelerate the drive and a signal through tube 80 causes high pressure air to flow through tube 47 to accelerate the drive.

If the disc 56 is in a position in which the slot 58 is in alignment with the outlet nozzle 70 air is transmitted from the inlet passage 68 to the signal tube 7 8, no air being able to pass through the disc to reach the tube 80. If on the other hand the slot 60 is in alignment with the nozzle 72 then air is transmitted through the signal tube 80 and not through the tube 78'. If the disc is so aligned that the band 62 between the two slots is in alignment with the nozzles 70, 72 then no signal is transmitted and consequently the drive will remain constant.

It will be appreciated that the relative position of the head 64 and the disc 56 determines the normal speed of the drive for the beam. If the relative position is altered for example by turning the head on its axis 66 then the normal speed of the beam drive would also be altered. If the head is moved in one arcuate direction from the previous normal position of the disc e.g, towards the slot 60 then the standard speed will, for example, be faster. If the head is moved towards the slot 58 then the normal speed will, for example, be slower.

It will be appreciated that the axis 66 of the head 64 can be connected to a pointer 81 (see FIG. 1) which can be moved over a scale 82 on a control box giving a visual indication of the normal speed to which the control device is set.

The two signal tubes 78, 80 are each connected to separate relays 84 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 8) positioned in high pressure air tubes 86. As a signal is received through the tube 78 the relay 84 connected thereto will be operated to allow a restricted flow of high pressure air from a supply tube 86 to be transmitted to the tube 46 (or 47) connected to the positioner for the hydraulic pump. The flow rate of air through the relay is determined by a control screw 87 which determines the speed at which the positioner 40 alters the displacement of the pump 32 and hence controls the rate of acceleration or deceleration of the motor 28'. Thus it can be assured that the acceleration or deceleration of the beam drive is not sufliciently fierce to damage the yarn being wound.

The high pressure air supply is received from a source (not shown) through a tube 88 which is connected to a solenoid operated valve 90 (see FIG. 9). When the solenoid is in its normal operating position air can flow through it from the tube 88 to the tube 86.

A bleed is taken from the tube 86 and transmitted through a pressure reducing unit 92 to the low pressure inlet tube 68 connected to the sensing head 64.

When the circuit to the electric motor 34 is broken either by means of an on-ofl switch or by a yarn path stop motion the solenoid of the valve 90 is operated to close the connection between the tubes 86 and 68 and to make a connection between the tube 88 and an outlet tube 94 which is connected through a valve generally indicated at 96 (see FIG. 2) to a further tube 98 which is connected to the tube 46. Air flowing through the tubes 94 and 98 thus causes the air motor 44 to rotate the positioner in a direction to cause the fluid displacement lever 36 to move to the position of minimum acceleration. When the lever 36 reaches the position of zero acceleration it trips Cit an electrical limit switch generally indicated at 100 which acts to close the valve 96 so that air can no longer flow from the tube 94 to the tube 46. Further the operation of the off switch isolates the on switch until such time as the limit switch 100 on being tripped by the lever 36 has re-energised the on switch circuit.

As a consequence of this arrangement the motor drive cannot be re-started until the lever 36 is at the position of minimum acceleration which ensures that a drive for the beam cannot be re-established with an acceleration which would be sufficiently great to damage the yarn.

When the machine is started up the yarn speed through the nip or measuring rollers 48 is extremely slow which causes the tachometer 52 to rotate the disc 56 to the position in which the slot 60 is opposite the nozzle 72 enabling air to be transmitted through he acceleration signal tube 80. The relay 84 of that tube, then operates to allow a controlled supply of high pressure air to be transmitted through the tube 47 to cause the air motor 44 to be driven in the direction to cause the screwed rod 38 to move to the right as seen in FIG. 2 moving the lever 36 to the position in which an increased volume of hydraulic fluid is transmitted through the tubes 30 to the hydraulic motor 28 causing that motor and hence the beam, to accelerate.

When the speed of the yarn through the delivery rollers 48 reaches that to which the head 64 has been set then the portion 62 of the disc 56 will lie opposite the two noz zles 70, 72 so that no signal will be transmitted through either of the outlet tubes 78, 80 and the machine will continue to run at that speed. In practice it has been found that following a period of acceleration the speed usually increases beyond that to which the head has been set. Consequently the deceleration slot 58 is moved opposite to the nozzle 70 causing a signal to be transmitted through the tube 78, through the relay connected to that tube to the signal tube 46 which drives the air motor 44 in the direction to cause the screwed positioner 40 to move the screwed rod 38 and hence the displacement lever 36 to the left as seen in FIG. 2 to cause a decrease in the supply of hydraulic fluid transmitted to the motor 28.

After a period of acceleration a period of deceleration and a short period of acceleration the control device then settles down and the machine runs at a standard set speed until the diameter of the beam increases to an extent wherein the yarn speed increases beyond that desired, whereupon the disc 56 will again be rotated by the tachometer 52 to cause the beam drive motor to be decelerated until it is running at a slower speed corresponding to the desired yarn speed.

It will be appreciated that the desired yarn speed can be changed merely by moving the pointer 81 i.e. moving the head 64 angularly with respect to the disc 56 and this can be done in a single movement. Thus the yarn speed can be increased or can be reduced to a creep speed to allow an operator to carry out repairs during winding.

When the electric motor 34 is switched off it is desirable to control the rate of deceleration of the beam. This can be achieved by fitting a one-way bleed valve 102 in the pipe 104 between the pipes 30. In the drive position no fluid can by-pass through the valve, but on overrun when the valve is open and with the pump stationary, bleed can take place according to the valve setting. This provides controlled braking and also permits manual rotation in the wind on direction.

When the empty beam is to be mounted in the beaming machine it is rolled into a position between the heads 6 and 8 over the rollers 16 which are then raised to centre the beam by means of ram 24 on operation of the lever 105 on the panel. The heads 6 and 8 are then driven towards each other along the tracks by means of hydraulic rams 106 and 108 until the members 12 and 14 are engaged within the flanges of the beam centre,

The position of each of the heads 6 and 8 along the tracks is set independently on operation of the respective lever 110 on each head movement of a lever in one direction causing the respective ram 106 or 108 to move the 7 head in the direction corresponding to the movement of the lever from the rest or mid position.

When the heads are in the correct position and the lever 110 returned to its mid position, each head is clamped in that position by the clamping device illustrated in FIG. 11 and comprising a clamp bar 112 pivoted to the upper end of the piston of a hydraulic ram 114 and located within a strap 116 depending from the bottom of the head. The ends 118 of the clamp bar 112 are tapered to correspond with the under surface of the top flange of the rails 4. On lifting of the piston 114 of the hydraulic ram caused by the return movement of the lever 110 the ends 118 of the bar 112 are forced into engagement with the rails thus preventing movement of the head carrying the clamp bar, along the rails.

Further movement of the lever 110 causes the ram 114 to be retracted to release the clamp 112 prior to the respective head being moved along the track.

When the package is fully wound and it is desired that this be dotted the ram 24 is lowered until the flanges of the beam rest on cross members 119 which can be slid along the rails 4 at floor level, the clamp bars 112 are released from engaging the rails and the heads 6 and 8 are driven apart along the tracks by means of rams 106, 108 and on operation of the lever 110, so that the package centre engaging members 12 and 14 are disengaged from the end flanges of the centre whereupon the wound beam can be rolled out from between the heads.

Due to the driven movement of the heads, the package engaging members can be made more rigid then would be the case were these members to move out from and towards fixed heads to engage the support. Further the direct drive to the member 4 which in turn directly engages the package centre, has been found to give excellent results and provides a fine control over the speed of rotation of the package without slippage.

I claim:

1. In a textile yarn winding machine, a package on which the yarn is wound; variable speed drive means for rotating said package; and a control device for said drive means actuated by comparing the speed of the yarn to a predetermined desired winding speed.

2. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the control device can be adjusted to vary the desired yarn speed.

3. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 2 in which the control device can be so adjusted as to cause the package to be driven at a speed ranging from a creep speed to the desired optimum speed of the yarn.

4. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 2 in which the control device can be so adjusted as to stop the drive for the package.

5. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 4 including means, independently of the control device, to stop the package drive.

6. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 5 in which safety means are provided to ensure that when the stop means is actuated, the drive to the package can only be resumed with controlled acceleration.

7. A yarn Winding machine as claimed in claim 6 in which means are provided to control the rate of acceleration and deceleration of the package drive.

8. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the package drive comprises a hydraulic motor, a hydraulic pump providing hydraulic fluid to the motor, and the control device acting to vary the drive by varying the displacement of the said pump.

9. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 8, in which the control device includes a screw which is movable in either direction to position the pump to vary the displacement thereof, in accordance with the direction of drive of a second motor driven in either direction in accordance with the signal received from the control device.

10. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 9, in

which the motor driving the screw is a pneumatic motor connected to the control device through signal tubes.

11. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 10 in which the signal tubes connecting the control device to the pneumatic motor are connected through relays which are operated on receiving a low pressure signal from the control device to admit high pressure gas to the pneumatic motor, the rate of flow of gas through the relay being adjustable so as to determine the rate at which the screw is moved to adjust the pump.

12. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 11 in which the high pressure gas is fed through a solenoid valve which operates on stoppage of the drive for the package to direct the high pressure gas to the motor driving the screw so as to drive this in the direction to cause the pump to be set to minimum displacement, a trip switch or the like being provided to change the solenoid valve back to its normal position when the pump has been so set.

13. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 12 in which means are provided to prevent the package drive being re-started after stoppage until the displacement of the pump has been set to a minimum.

14. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 13 in which the drive for the package is applied to the package support spindle.

15. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the control device comprises a tachometer driven by a yarn speed sensing member, movement of the tachometer output member in one direction from an adjustable normal position corresponding to the desired yarn winding speed, being efiective to accelerate and movement in the other direction from the normal position, to decelerate, the package drive to restore the yarn speed to the set normal speed.

16. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 15 in which the output member has two separate signal tracks one being effective to transmit a signal to sensing means to cause the package drive to accelerate and the other to cause the drive to decelerate, one track coming into operation on movement of the output member in one direction from the normal position and the other becoming operative on movement of the member in the other direction.

17. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 15 in which the normal desired winding speed can be adjusted by movement of the signal sensing means for the tracks, or the output member, relative to the yarn speed sensing elements of the tachometer.

18. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the set normal position corresponding to the normal desired yarn speed is determined by the position of the gap between the tracks or the position of an overlap of the tracks, relatively to the sensing means.

19. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the normal desired winding speed can be adjusted by adjustment of the speed at which the tachometer effectively drives its output member.

20. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the signal is transmitted pneumatically and the tracks comprise fluid flow passages.

21. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the output member is a plate each track comprising a slot in the plate, the plate being moveable past a head carrying two jets which comprise the sensing means and which are connected to a source of gas, each jet being aligned on one side of the plate with the two tracks re spectively, the head also including two flow passages located on the other side of the plate and aligned with the two jets so that when one of the tracks is aligned with one of the jets gas or fluid is passed through the corresponding flow passage and when the other track is aligned with the other jet gas or fluid flows only through the other flow path, the fiow paths being connected to means to alter the drive for the package.

22. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 21 in which the tracks are arcuate and are contained on a disc rotated by the tachometer.

23. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the output member includes a gas jet which transmits a signal to one of two flow passages in a sensing member the jet being aligned with one passage on movement of the output member in one direction from the normal and with the other passage on movement of the member in the other direction to cause the package drive to accelerate or decelerate respectively.

24. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 16 in which the yarn speed is sensed by a roller in the yarn path, means being provided to apply a drag to the roller to provide an increase in tension of the yarn prior to winding.

25. A yarn winding machine as claimed in claim 1 in References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,464,463 8/1923 Wood 24268.4 X 2,938,365 5/1960 Lassiter 24245 X 3,304,705 2/ 1967 Rathje et al 24245 X 3,346,207 10/1967 Jenny 24245 NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

